Loveable Bastard
by MockingJay
Summary: Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy are best friends. But Rose is starting to hate his constant relationships with girls - does she want more than just his friendship?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Of course I'm not JK Rowling, so I don't own Harry Potter.**

**A/N Rose and Scorpius are in their sixth year. I'll try to introduce the other Weasleys and Potters later on. My first FanFic ever, so… **

Rose leaned her elbows on the table of the Three Broomsticks, a warm butterbeer in her hands. She sat across her best friend, Ling, who was rambling on about her latest crush.

'But on the other hand,' continued Ling at top speed, 'He said "I'll see you later" so…?'

'Just wait and see, Ling,' advised Rose paitently, 'He only broke up with Samantha Brown a month ago, give it time.'

'Yeah…' mused Ling.

'Ugh,' said Rose, interrupting Ling's thoughts. Across the room was Scorpius Malfoy – school bad boy, but also Rose's other best friend– snogging some horribly desperate brunette she couldn't make out.

Ling curiously peered over her shoulder. When she turned back to Rose her expression was of pure shock. 'Uh, Rose?' she began hesitantly. 'You do know who that is, don't you?'

Rose looked confused, squinting a little. Suddenly that mass of golden brown hair looked familiar. It couldn't be - 'Dominique?' Rose cried, almost spilling her drink all over the table.

'Keep it down,' hushed Ling.

But Rose was in a frenzy. 'She's, like, a seventh year!' she exclaimed, 'And my _cousin_!'

Ling raised an eyebrow. 'Like that's going to stop him,' she said, 'Besides, _everyone _at this school wants Scorpius Malfoy, including seventh years. You know that.'

Although Rose hated to admit a Weasley could do such a thing, she knew Ling was right. And although Dominique may not have her mother's Veela-hair, she certainly had her Veela charm and good looks – the perfect girl for Scorpius. Rose shuddered at the thought.

'God,' she said, exasperated, 'Scorpius is such a bastard; I don't even know why I'm friends with him sometimes.'

Ling just gave a small wry smile.

…

The next morning, Rose had almost forgot about the incident she witnessed in the Three Broomsticks, until she saw Scorpius stroll in their Potions class a full 10 minutes late, his clothes and hair even more dishevelled than usual, a smirk on his face.

'Sorry, Professor,' he said almost playfully, 'Long night.' Rose shuddered. She didn't even want to know what he was doing.

'Take a seat, Malfoy,' ordered the potions mistress, Professor Young, firmly, but there was a hidden smile on her lips. Scorpius had a surprising talent for potions, so, much to Rose's annoyance, he got away with murder in this class.

As he took a seat next to Rose, she muttered, 'Lucky for you this wasn't Transfiguration, Malfoy. Badgely would have turned you into a rat right then and there.'

He chuckled, as Young continued with her instructions on how to make a Draught of Living Death.

'Pair up with the person closest to you. You have one hour,' she finished.

Rose stood up and shook her wavy auburn hair out of face with authority. She didn't have a particular flair for potions, but like any other subject, Rose was determined to master it. And with Scorpius with her partner, who always outshone her at potions, it gave her even more of an incentive.

She opened the book and started to read the instructions, as Scorpius got the ingredients. Soon they were both concentrating very hard, reading the instructions and chopping up ingredients as quickly as possible.

After around fifteen minutes though, Rose found the Sopophorous Bean extremely tough to cut up and extract the juice required. Her brow furrowed in concentration, she stabbed it hard with her silver knife.

Scorpius laughed. 'Have you tried crushing it with the flat side of your knife? It works with all those hard-to-cut beans,' he said wisely.

She let out a short laugh. 'It still amazes me when you say something that's not nonsense, even after 6 years.' But she tried it all the same, and it worked like a charm. The potion was now a nice shade of lilac as the book had specified.

Finally, it was done, an almost clear looking potion sat in the cauldron in front of them. Wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead, Rose waited as Professor Young came to mark each potion, while Scorpius ran his hand through his already messy white blond hair, much to the amusement of a pair of giggling girls sitting behind them.

As Professor Young approached their mixture, Rose's heartbeat quickened. For anybody else, this was probably overdoing it, but teachers' opinions mattered to Rose greatly.

'This is wonderful!' Professor Young exclaimed, peering into the cauldron, dropping in a leaf, which disintegrated once it came in contact with the liquid. 'A little cloudy, but a fine effort nevertheless. Good work you two!' But she looked straight at Scorpius only. Rose frowned. This teacher was absolutely mental.

…

Rose sank down in her favourite armchair in the library after classes. It had been a long day and she relished the book she had in her hands. Most people went to the Gryffindor common room to relax, but when Rose was trying to wind down she went to the library. Her father always said she got her love of books from her mother, which wasn't a surprise.

The library was quiet, and which for some reason smelled like coffee. Rose closed her eyes for just a second, when she felt a tap on her shoulder, making her jump out of her skin. It was Scorpius, his tall and lanky frame creating a shadow on her book.

'Of course,' said Rose, sighing, 'Just when it started to get quiet.'

'Aren't you kind,' he said sarcastically.

'Wait,' she said suddenly, 'Scorpius Malfoy? In a _library_?'

'It's been known to happen,' he said nonchalantly, flicking his hair off his hair in that oh-so-innocent way.

'Well,' she continued, 'What's up? Surely you didn't come to _read_.'

'I'm just here to piss you off, obviously,' he mocked.

Ignoring this, Rose suddenly had a mental image of Dominique's face glued to his. Repulsed, she asked accusingly, '_What _were you doing with my cousin yesterday evening, huh?'

For a minute Scorpius looked blank. Suddenly, he smirked slightly. 'Dominique?'

'God, how many other Weasleys have you been messing with, Malfoy?' she asked, realising a moment to late on how that sounded.

Scorpius had evidently noticed too. He raised an eyebrow, but carried on, 'Why, what's wrong with her?'

'A lot if she's going out with you,' Rose said dryly.

Scorpius' face was expressionless. 'Who says we were going out? Can't a guy and a girl just…'

'Snog?' offered Rose, looking disgusted.

'Why do you care so much?' asked Scorpius, mildly annoyed, which was strange. Rose got mad at Scorpius several times a day, but Scorpius never did, he only teased her playfully. It was how their odd friendship worked.

Rose frowned. She didn't know why she cared so much. She breathed out heavily. 'Oh, do what you want,' she said.

Scorpius's face remained expressionless.

Rose felt a little mean now. 'Wanna go to Hogsmeade for a bit?' she offered, 'you can tell me whether the rumours about you and Professor Young are true or not?' she added teasingly.

To that, Scorpius smiled. Not his usual cocky grin or sardonic smirk, a real smile. And that, Rose thought, was why she was such close friends with him.

**A/N Reviews please! The good, the bad and the ugly. Anything helps. ;) **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N I'm pretty slow at updating, but here is the second chapter of my first story! Thanks soooo much to those who reviewed the last chapter. As a first timer, it means a lot. Hope this is ok!**

When Rose had nothing to do, she studied. Why? No one knew. But when she had crazy, bubbly friend like Ling, she _couldn't_ study. According to her, Rose needed to 'go out more'. And since it was Friday night, she was to be dragged along to a secret party in the Room of Requirement with her friends Ling and Mia.

Rose was planning to wear a pair of jeans and a tank top. When she told this to Ling, her face was of pure horror. 'But that's what you always wear!' she exclaimed.

'That's the point,' Rose replied, as if it were obvious.

Mia chuckled. She was a girl who had only transferred to Hogwarts a few months back. She was tall, even taller than Rose, very thin and had straight blonde hair down her back. Mia was cold, aloof and sarcastic to those she didn't know, but very kind to her friends. Rose liked her immediately, and she thought Mia brought some balance into their trio.

'Fine,' Ling sighed, 'But let me touch up …' Her voice trailed off as she started to get some accessories.

An hour later Rose was still wearing the tank top and skinny jeans like she wanted, but with knee high boots, a cropped sweater, dangly earrings, make-up - courtesy of Ling – and her long auburn wavy hair let down her back.

'Happy now?' Rose said, fake annoyed.

'Yes,' said Ling satisfied, who was wearing a short yellow cocktail dress. She loved to dress up – and dress others up – but Rose would only wear what she was comfortable in, and Mia would _not_ let anyone tell her what to do. Ling sometimes longed for more girly friends, but she loved Rose – and now Mia - all the same.

Rose felt a little uneasy as they stealthily crept down to the Room of Requirement; she hated breaking school rules. 'Who organised this anyway?' she whispered to Ling.

'Oh, just Brooke's sister's friend's boyfriend,' she replied offhandedly.

Mia snorted. 'You just _had _to ask,' she whispered to a bewildered looking Rose, sharing a smile.

Soon they approached the Room of Requirement and after walking in front of it three times, Ling probably thinking, "We need to get into Brooke's sister's friend's boyfriend's party" over and over, it opened.

The Room was large, larger than Rose had ever seen it, but it was still crowded with mostly sixth and seventh years, even a few fifth years. Rose frowned. 'How do these O.W.L and N.E.W.T students get time to attend parties?' she thought aloud.

'Trust you to think something like that,' came a familiar voice from behind her.

'Scorpius!' Rose greeted, turning around. He had a firewhisky in one hand, the other was draped around a girl's waist. Rose looked at him quizzically, as if to ask what about Dominique, before Scorpius shooed the girl away, saying, 'Hey, give us a minute will you?' The girl smiled at him and turned to leave, but not before giving Rose a scathing look.

'Well,' Rose began ignoring the evil eye the girl had just given her, 'You seem to be busy,' pointing her head in the direction of the girl.

He smirked a little. 'You do too,' he said. 'Rose Weasley? At a party?' He raised his eyebrows.

'You know how Ling is about these things,' she explained.

'Ah,' he said, nodding. 'Want some?' he added, holding out his Firewhisky.

'Why ask when you know what the answer would be?' Rose said swiftly.

'Alright,' he said, 'At least I know it really is Weasley under all that new exterior,' pointing to her clothes.

'Hey!' she said defensively, 'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Don't worry about it,' he drawled, 'I'll see you later,' he called over his shoulder.

Rolling her eyes at Malfoy's usual weird remarks, she made her way over to Ling and Mia, who were chatting to a group of Ravenclaws, one of which was Dominique.

'Hey,' Dominique said as Rose joined them, 'I was just telling everyone how _hot _Malfoy looks today!' This was responded with a laugh and a few, almost manic-like giggles.

Mia shot Rose a sideways glance to which Rose rolled her eyes.

'Hey, Rose,' said Dominique suddenly, 'You know him pretty well, don't you?'

'So do you, if I'm not mistaken,' she shot at her. _Ouch, _she thought, frowning a little, _Where did that come from?_

Dominique looked surprised for a second before recovering and said, 'Well, you know … We've talked and stuff.' _More like snogged, _Rose thought.

'But I wish I knew the real him,' Dominique continued, 'It's like everyone knows who he is, but no one actually _knows _him.'

'Except Rose,' piped up Ling, 'They've been, like, best friends since first year!'

'That's so cool!' said another girl, and the next thing she knew she was bombarded with questions on if his hair colour was natural (true, believe it or not) or if he had a snake tattoo on his back (also true, but it wasn't a snake) and finally, if he had a girlfriend (not one that lasted more than 3 days).

Almost 20 minutes later, Rose grumbled to Ling, 'Gee, thanks for that. Really.'

'It was for your own good!' she insisted, 'You don't want to be a social pariah forever, you know!'

'Social pariah?' Rose snapped, 'I think _I _would know what I want!'

'Sorry,' Ling said weakly, 'It's just…Never mind. I love you even if you're a total nerd anyway,' she added happily.

'Weasley?'

Rose twirled around. 'Stop doing that, Scorp!'

'Doing what?' Scorpius asked.

'Sneaking up on me like that!'

Ignoring this he said, laughing, 'Well, firstly, I'd like to know why a girl came up to me asking about my tattoo?'

Rose groaned. 'Not my idea,' she said, giving Ling a look. 'Oh, and she thought it was a snake, but everyone knows it's a-'

'Scorpion,' he finished.

Mia was still hanging in the background, like a shadow. It was her normal reaction to, basically everyone, but especially Scorpius, whom she thought had mental problems.

Scorpius glanced at her quickly. 'Come get a drink with me?' he offered to Rose.

'Sure,' she replied, 'Ling? Mia?' she asked them.

'No,' said Mia firmly.

'Um, ok,' Rose said, heading over to a large table laden with drinks and refreshments.

'I thought the Room of Requirement couldn't make food,' said Scorpius, surprised.

'It can't,' Rose informed, 'That's one of the five Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration.'

Scorpius simply looked at her, amused. 'I don't doubt it.'

Rose smiled. Yes, she was a geek sometimes, and no, she wasn't ashamed of it.

'So you're friends with that new girl?' Scorpius asked bluntly.

Rose was too used to Scorpius's sudden changes in conversation topics, but this question surprised her.

'One, Mia's not that new,' she said, 'And two, you already know we hang out.'

Scorpius looked – could it be? – a little sheepish. He opened his mouth to say something then shut it.

Too late. 'You like her,' Rose said immediately, 'And don't try lying,' she added, before he could say anything, 'I'm Weasley, remember? I know everything.'

That made Scorpius smirk. 'Trust me, I know.'

'Ha ha,' Rose said dryly, 'Don't change the topic.'

Scorpius rolled his eyes. 'It's nothing,' he said fake nonchalantly.

Rose knew she wasn't going to get much more out him. That half a second hesitation earlier was enough.

'Well, I can talk to her, if you want,' she offered, knowing the answer would be no.

'No,' he said firmly, 'Don't be stupid. I don't _chase_.'

_Oh God, _thought Rose, _the male ego. _'Ok, whatever, Scorp,' she said aloud, as they parted, 'Whatever,' she muttered to herself.

But some hours later as the three of them left the party, Rose couldn't help but feel a twisty sort of a feeling in her stomach whenever she looked at Mia. And it wasn't just 'whatever'.

**A/N Ending too abrupt? I feel like I'm changing the mood of the story too often.. REVIEW REVIEWS REVIEW! Please tell me what you think! Thank you so much! xox**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N I simply cannot think of how to thank all my readers and reviewers enough. So here, have a cyber-waffle. ('.')#**

'I still don't get why you're friends with _him _still,' Mia hissed to Rose as they got their books out for Transfiguration. Rose sat in between Mia and Scorpius, much to Mia's annoyance.

Rose smiled. 'I know you wouldn't. But he's actually a better person than he lets on.'

Mia gave her an incredulous look, before Scorpius came in and took a seat next to Rose.

The aftermath of Rose guessing Scorpius's feelings for Mia was…a little weird for her to deal with. Every glance, every subtle brush of a hand Scorpius gave Mia had a whole new different meaning now that Rose was 'in on it'. Scorpius somehow trusted Rose with things no one else knew (namely, his family issues), but Rose had never dealt with any girl problems of his. He was Scorpius Malfoy, for Merlin's sake! The only problem _he_ ever had with girls was having too many at once.

The class went as usual, Mia showing obvious displeasure at being within 10 kilometres of Scorpius, Rose trying to be diplomatic and Scorpius not once hinting on what he might be feeling. It was infuriating.

As they walked to their next class, (Scorpius going off with a group of his own friends), Rose asked Mia, 'Why exactly do you hate Scorpius so much? You barely even know him!'

He's _Malfoy, _Rose,' she scoffed, 'I might have only joined the school a few months ago, but even I know all about his reputation.'

'His _reputation_?' Rose said, an eyebrow raised, 'Surely a person is more than just their reputation to you? Why do you really hate him?'

'He's slept with more girls than the number of plastic surgeries Heidi Montag's had,' she began, counting on her fingers, 'He's arrogant and thinks he's above everyone, he's always late to class, he's annoyingly sarcastic… Oh the list goes on.'

_Ouch, _thought Rose. 'Ok, so maybe some of those things are true,' she admitted, 'But if you never talk to him, you'll never know, Mia.'

…

Later on in Potions, Rose was talking to Scorpius when she decided to bring up the topic of Mia. She had to admit it; she was intrigued. 'So you like Mia,' she said bluntly, 'Why?'

Surprisingly, Scorpius replied, 'Yeah, I like her. She's hot, sarcastic and mean. What's not to like?'

Rose was shocked, but didn't show it. 'Wow,' she said simply, nodding, 'This is new. But,' she added, 'She hates you.'

Still flipping pages of his potions book, he replied, 'I don't think I would like her if she didn't.'

Rose wasn't too surprised. That made sense, coming from Scorpius. He might have _dated_ a number of desperate, whiny girls, but his actual preference was clearly hard-to-get. And Mia was _definitely _hard to get.

'Well, in case it doesn't work out with Mia, you always have Professor Young!' Rose teased, 'She'd be more than willing to spend some time alone with you…' she continued, laughing.

'_Excuse _me?' came a stern voice from in front of her bench. Rose's heart skipped a beat as she gazed up at Professor Young's heavily made up face frowning down at her.

'Uh- I, er, m-meant-' Rose stuttered.

'She wanted some help with Potions,' Scorpius interjected, 'But she was too scared to, so she asked me to ask instead.' He gave her his signature crooked smile to which Young's face softened almost immediately.

Once she had left, Rose breathed a sigh of relief. 'Detention avoided. Thanks Scorp.'

'That's what I'm here for,' he said, shrugging. 'Besides, I'm not keen for you crying on my shoulder all night after finding out you got your first B.' He smiled mockingly.

Rose rolled her eyes and lightly punched him, glad that they were back to normal.

…

A few weeks later, Rose had almost forgotten about Mia and Scorpius, she was so buried in schoolwork and prefect duties. But one day it all came flooding back to her when she saw Mia and Scorpius in the corridor _walking side by side. _Actually _talking. _Mia even laughed a little. Rose was shocked; the only way Mia would talk to Scorpius was if she was under the Imperius curse, everyone knew that.

Rose suddenly felt her skin prickle. Shaking the sensation off she went up to join them when she saw Ling and found her herself joining her instead. Mia and Scorpius were unaware of Rose and Ling's presence. Ling immediately said in a hushed whisper, 'Is that what I think it is?'

'Yup,' said Rose disbelievingly, 'The world has definitely gone mad.'

Ling laughed. 'I know! What I want to know is what Malfoy offered her to speak to him in public.'

Now it was Rose's turn to laugh. 'I think someone owes us an explanation.'

'Now?' asked Ling, her eyes wide.

'Later,' Rose replied as if it were obvious.

They watched as Scorpius left Mia to join his friends before approaching her. She looked mildly startled at Ling and Rose standing right in front of her.

'You were _talking _to Malfoy?' Ling exclaimed before Mia could even say hi.

Mia just blinked.

'Why the change in attitude?' Rose asked, genuinely curious.

'Oh, I dunno,' said Mia, shrugging, 'After what you said about how I shouldn't judge people if I don't know them…I decided to give him a chance.'

Rose was surprised, and a little flattered that she actually paid attention to what she said those weeks ago. 'And he's not that bad?'

'He's all right,' she replied, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

Rose suddenly felt that earlier prickle on her skin again. 'Cool,' she said simply.

Ling beamed. She hated conflict of any kind, and Mia and Scorpius being friendly would make things easier for Rose, she thought, since Rose seemed to be caught in the middle - according to Ling.

Rose walked with Ling and Mia on either side of her to the Great Hall for dinner in comfortable silence. Soon they heard that familiar buzzing of the Great Hall. The room looked especially stunning at night, with the candles hanging in the air against the dark blue starry sky that had been there since Rose's parents went to the school.

The rowdiness of the Hogwarts pupils contrasted this, as usual. The girls scrambled for a seat at the Gryffindor table before they would get run over by a hoard of hungry teenagers. Rose took a seat near her many cousins, quite a few of which weren't Gryffindors, but sat at the table anyway. Her cousin Albus was seated next to her, with his girlfriend, Aria.

Rose nudged him. 'You're brave to bring Aria to sit with the Weasely-Potter clan,' she said, smiling. Al looked a little nervous. 'I don't _think_ she minds,' he replied as he glanced over to the dark haired girl who was being flooded with questions from his younger sister, Lily.

Smiling at her cousin's behaviour, she started to eat her dinner, chatting and laughing with her friends and family. She glanced up and saw Scorpius at the Slytherin table, surrounded by his friends and admirers. But he was not paying them much attention; his gaze was on something else entirely. Mia.

She sat just two seats away from her, looking quiet and thoughtful as she listened to various conversations around her. Scorpius caught Rose staring and stared right back. Rose smiled wryly before turning to her attention to Ling.

It was really unbelievable. And awfully cliché, the way Scorpius was acting. Well, not the creepy staring, but gazing at a girl from across the room? This was too much. Rose was…what silly word did Ling use? Confuzzled. That's it. But what unsettled Rose the most was that she had no idea how things would unfold. And Rose _always _knew how things would unfold.

**A/N **_**I **_**don't even know how things will unfold! I'm not very satisfied with this chapter for some reason. I don't have a beta-reader, so I depend on you guys to tell me what I'm doing right/wrong! Criticism is great. Thanks! XD**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Damn. I accidently uploaded the draft of this chapter last night. So here it is again.**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews and people who are still reading. :D And the biggest thank you of all for my beta… *****drumroll***** ****Funkily Freaky****! As my friend in real life and an excellent editor, she is awesome to share ideas with! Now for Chapter 4…**

Mia leaned against the stone parapet of a balcony of the astronomy tower. She had found the serene viewpoint only a few days ago. She didn't take astronomy and she knew she wasn't allowed here, but after seeing Malfoy sneak up recently, she was curious to see where he escaped to - and no wonder he did. Nobody came up here in the daytime, so it was perfectly quiet and still. The panoramic view of the grounds of Hogwarts didn't hurt either.

_Malfoy._

Rose was right, as always. Mia had judged too quickly and harshly, but she had had her fair share of bad boys at her old school and did not want to repeat the same mistakes. However, after just a few conversations with him, she was rather curious. His low voice and his cold grey eyes when they locked on hers were not the features of a womanizing, arrogant, pureblood jerk face. She knew that much now. But he wasn't exactly sociable, polite or considerate either. Scorpius Malfoy was quite the enigma.

Mia scolded herself silently. How pathetic of her to be analysing some guy dramatically at the top of a bloody _tower_. What was she, Rapunzel?

She was so immersed in her thoughts that she did not hear the very person she was thinking about climb up the stairs to the tower.

Scorpius stopped in his tracks. He was almost at the top of the staircase when he spotted that familiar blonde hair. Mia was facing away from him, leaning against the balcony. His balcony.

He frowned. As far as he knew, nobody came here during the day except for him - and he'd been sneaking up here since he arrived at Hogwarts six years ago.

Mia turned her head slightly and the look of surprise on her face was probably the most expressive he had ever seen her. He smirked. 'I didn't know others came up here during the day,' he remarked truthfully.

'You don't know everything, Malfoy,' she said in her usual quiet voice.

He smirked. It was always amusing talking to Mia. 'Not everything,' he admitted, 'but definitely most things.'

'Yeah?' she challenged, 'What's my last name?' Mia smiled smugly, thinking she had got him there.

'I don't bother with names,' he drawled, 'It's not like I would remember them in the morning.'

Mia glared at him, her deep blue eyes boring into his steely grey ones. _Typical, _she thought, frustrated at herself for even thinking of him in a positive light earlier.

'You can have the frickin' balcony,' she said as she strode past him to leave.

Scorpius abruptly held her arm to stop her. 'Hey, I was only kidding,' he said defensively, 'And I don't mind sharing it,' he added, a little softer.

Mia simply looked at Scorpius for a second before quietly sighing in defeat.

'Okay. I'll stay.'

…

'Mia's been gone for _ages_!' Ling declared.

'Yeah,' said Rose thoughtfully. 'Where did she say she was going?'

'For a walk,' replied Ling, 'but the sun is starting to set and she's still not here.'

'She's a big girl, Ling,' assured Rose, 'She'll be fine.'

'But she doesn't know the school as well as we do! She could get lost!' Ling exclaimed.

'Don't worry, she's not,' replied Rose, looking past Ling.

Following Rose's gaze, Ling saw Mia… who was next to Scorpius.

Ling looked at Rose with a pointed glance. 'So _that's _where she's been,' remarked Ling suggestively.

Rose let out a short laugh. 'I'm gonna go speak to Scorp, 'kay? Be right back.'

She watched as Mia smiled and waved at him before joining Ling. Without being seen by Mia, Rose crept up behind Scorpius and tapped him on the shoulder.

She raised both her eyebrows at him meaningfully.

'What?' asked Scorpius, defensively.

Rose continued looking at him.

'Don't look at me like that!'

Rose smiled at his reaction. 'She was missing for hours,' she stated matter-of-factly. 'As _your_ friend and _her_ friend, I think I deserve an explanation.'

'It's not what you think,' Scorpius assured. After Rose's incredulous expression remained unchanged, Scorpius continued sincerely, 'Seriously, we just talked and lost track of the time.'

Rose felt oddly relieved. 'Alright,' she said with a laugh. 'I think I believe you.'

'Cool! So… up for a round of Wizard's Chess?' Scorpius offered, beaming at her.

Rose narrowed her brown eyes suspiciously. 'I'm _not _rewriting your History of Magic report, so don't even try it.'

Scorpius smirked. 'You caught me,' he said, holding his arms up, 'But it's due tomorrow and - '

'If it was due_ tomorrow_,' Rose said sweetly, cutting him off, 'Maybe you shouldn't have spent hours with dear Mia or late nights _partying _until you couldn't remember your own name.'

'Ouch,' grimaced Scorpius. 'Remind me why I'm friends with you again?'

'Because _I_ have valuable notes to help you do your essay – and am willing to _help_ you write it,' Rose said, smiling.

Scorpius sighed. 'Lucky for me you're in a good mood, huh?'

'Very,' Rose agreed.

…

Some time afterwards, Rose was in the library alone, as always. She would never understand why people were so allergic to it; the musty smell of books and eerie atmosphere felt strangely peaceful to her.

As she sat re-reading _Grindelwald: A Wizard Hitler? _for the thousandth time, she noticed someone had walked in. Glancing up briefly, she noticed it was another sixth year. She felt pleasantly surprised, as not many sixth years came into the library. It was only those who had OWLs and NEWTs on that were forced into this place. She vaguely remembered him from one of her classes last year, and as a Hufflepuff prefect. She turned back to her book, absorbed once more.

But only a few minutes later she was interrupted.

'Sorry to bother you,' said the boy politely in an Irish lilt, his hazel eyes smiling. 'But is that the original edition of _Grindelwald_?

'Er, yes,' Rose said looking up at the brown haired figure, rather flattered. 'It was a gift.'

'That's amazing,' he said with huge grin, 'It's a great book.'

'Definitely,' she agreed, nodding. 'Some of the information is a little outdated, but I don't really mind.'

'Of course,' he said. 'Personally I find old books the most fascinating of all. '

Rose grinned. 'I know! The historical context an old book provides is far better than any modern book on history, I think,' she continued enthusiastically.

'Well if you like old books, there's an excellent new bookstore in Hogsmeade,' he offered smiling. 'The store is fairly new, but the books are antiques. I'm guessing you love your magical history?' the boy added.

'Oh yes, but I find Muggle history quite interesting too. My mum's Muggleborn and she has taught me quite a lot. My dad hates any type of history, really. Me and my mum drive him nuts.'

The boy laughed, a prominent dimple appearing in his cheek.

'Oh!' Rose exclaimed suddenly, standing up. 'I totally forgot to introduce myself! I'm Rose,' she said smiling.

'Rose Weasley?' inquired the boy. 'I'm Noah. Noah Alder.'

**A/N I love feedback! REVIEW! REVIEW! How else will I know who hates this and who doesn't? ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Thanks for the reviews! xox I know a lot of you are waiting some Scorose-ness but you'll have to be patient… maybe I should change the summary and say it's **_**eventual**_** Rose/Scorpius. **

Rose, Ling and Mia were browsing Hogsmeade, all of them interested in visiting totally different places, but each enjoying themselves. It was a fairly chilly October afternoon, and Rose was grateful for the black coat she was wearing.

They entered the warmth and liveliness of Honeydukes, the sweet aromas rather intoxicating to their senses. Ling and Mia - being a little more adventurous - started to take a look at sweets like Fizzing Whizzbees and Exploding Bonbons, whereas Rose immediately went to buy a chocolate frog.

Several Hogwarts students surrounded the Honeydukes counter, one of which was Noah.

'Hey,' he greeted, a bag of toffees in one hand.

'Hi,' she replied, smiling. They'd had a few very interesting conversations since they first met a few weeks back and Rose found that she liked him quite a lot. He was intelligent, easy to talk to and listened avidly to what she had to say. She had to admit, he was quite the gentleman.

'So, what are you buying?' he asked, interrupting her thoughts.

'A chocolate frog,' she replied. 'They're my absolute favourite. You must really love toffees,' she added, looking at the full bag in his hand.

He laughed. 'This?' he said holding it up. 'Oh, this is for my mum. It's her birthday on Monday and she reckons nobody can do toffees like Honeydukes, so here I am.'

'That's very sweet of you,' Rose remarked before the crowd behind them pushed the two forward in the line.

After purchasing their sweets from a rather frazzled looking middle aged woman, Noah asked, 'Er, if you're not busy at the moment… I could show that bookstore I told you about earlier. It's just around the corner,' he offered.

She hesitated for a moment, before replying, 'Uh, sure. I'll just go tell my friends.'

Rose approached Ling who was floating in the air after having a Fizzing Whizzbee, giggling her head off, and Mia who stood next to her, smirking a little.

'Hey, guys? Noah's just showing me this bookstore, 'kay? I'll be back soon,' Rose informed.

Ling landed on the ground softly. '_Noah_?' she said with a smug smile.

Rose rolled her eyes. 'Whatever,' she said before turning away.

'You have fun with him, Rose!' called Ling, giggling.

Shaking her head at Ling's level of maturity, she joined him, who was (thankfully) busy inspecting the back of a packet of Every Flavour Beans and did not hear Ling.

'Coming?' she asked.

They walked to the bookstore, passing the range of beautiful classics that were being displayed at the shop window. Rose gushed over the sheer number of books they had and the cute little sofas in every corner.

'Nice, huh?' said Noah as Rose flipped the pages of a thick spined book with a gold border, opening her chocolate frog with another.

The card inside slipped out and fell to the floor. Noah picked it up and looked at it in surprise and awe.

Seeing the look on his face, Rose glanced at it. Rolling her eyes, she said, 'Not another one.' It was a card with her father on it, Ron Weasley.

Noah looked rather shocked. 'You're not excited that your own _father _has his own chocolate frog card? '

Rose felt mildly irritated, but did not show it. It was a common reaction, after all. Her friends had grown used to the fact she was the daughter of the famous Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger-Weasley, and also the niece of Harry Potter himself – it simply did not affect their friendship anymore; but there were always people who got unnecessarily excited.

'I'm proud of him, yes,' explained Rose patiently, 'but it's really not that big a deal.'

Still looking a tad incredulous, Noah kept quiet. The two soon were once again bonded over their love for books, and Rose soon lost track of the time completely.

After what felt like ten minutes later (but was actually one hour), Mia came into the bookstore looking a little breathless. Spotting her friend, she called out, '_Rose_! We're leaving!'

She looked up from her seat, Noah next to her. He was peering over her shoulder, reading part of an enormous encyclopaedia that lay on her lap.

'Sorry, I'd best be leaving now. Do you want to come back to the castle with us?' she asked him.

He glanced outside, noticing it was getting dark. 'I think so,' he replied. Mia stood at the door, waiting.

The three girls and Noah made their way to the castle, Ling and Mia discussing what they got up to while Rose was away. Noah made polite small talk as well. Ling giggled every time he said 'Rose', much to the redhead's irritation.

They entered the building just as Scorpius did. He had evidently come from Quidditch practice; his green and silver Qudditch robes muddied along with pretty much the rest of his body. In his left hand he held his state of the art broom, a Lightning 3000.

'Hey,' Rose greeted, beaming.

He nodded, briefly looking her before turning his steely grey eyes to Noah, eyeing him. Noah smiled a little, his dimple just showing.

'I'm Noah,' he said politely. 'And you?'

He smirked. 'Scorpius.'

Noah narrowed his eyes a little. 'Scorpius _Malfoy_?'

'Yeah,' he said nonchalantly, 'Problem?' he challenged, stepping closer.

'No! Of course not.' Noah said, a strained smile on his face.

Rose glared at Scorpius, warning him. 'You should get cleaned up, Scorp,' she suggested tactfully.

Shooting Noah one last dirty look, he turned to go to his dorm, not meeting Mia's eyes once.

…

Later that evening, Mia grabbed the chance to talk to Rose alone in the Gryffindor common room. Ling had been interrogating Rose about Noah all evening, so she was glad her talkative friend was busy at the moment.

Mia, however, seemed to be filling in for her. 'I know Ling has already asked you,' she began, 'but what's going on with you and Noah?'

'Like I said, nothing at the moment,' Rose said, a tad irritated.

'But?' Mia prodded.

Rose was actually irritated now. 'But what, Mia?'

'Sorry,' Mia muttered. 'I was just wondering if you had feelings for him, that's all.'

Rose expression softened. 'Well, I do like him. He's really quite sweet.'

'Maybe you should tell him that.' Mia nodded.

She blushed a little. 'I think he thinks we're just friends.'

'Are you _kidding _me? He's totally into you!' interrupted a high, girly voice.

Mia and Rose groaned simultaneously.

Ling perched herself on a couch in front of them, ignoring their reaction. 'Seriously, Rose,' Ling advised. 'A guy like him will be off the market within days! You gotta grab him _now_.'

Rose snorted at the analogy, while Mia nodded in agreement.

'It's true,' said Mia, earnestly.

Rose was a little surprised at Mia's sudden interest in her love life. She was usually quite distant about such matters, simply because she really hadn't known Rose for as long as Ling had. Brushing the thought off, Rose mused, 'Well, I guess _maybe_ I'll ask him.'

Ling beamed, and Mia smiled, satisfied.

'And he's decent enough to say no nicely, I think,' continued Rose.

'It won't come to that!' Ling exclaimed. 'Don't even think it!'

Rose gave her a wavering smile, before Ling launched into the latest gossip.

Mia sank into her chair, quietly relieved on hearing Rose had feelings for Noah, not Scorpius. It was somehow always Rose who he smiled at. Rose who he talked and laughed with. It was Rose who _got _him.

But now that Rose was unavailable… maybe she stood a chance.

**A/N Make way for the clichéd love triangle. :P **

**Oh, and nothing makes me write faster and better than reviews! They fuel this story, so please, spare a minute, will you? XD**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N I haven't updated in months (too much school work!) Thank you to all who read and reviewed last time and I'm sorry for the wait. Really. **

**And I'm not a fan of time jumps, but I was persuaded to, so tell me what you think, 'kay? Rose and Noah are together, as are Mia and Scorpius. Here you are:**

Rose gazed out her dormitory window watching winter's first soft, white snowflakes fall to the ground. She wasn't a huge fan of snow, what with all the slush and cold water seeping into her boots, but even she could appreciate how beautiful it looked today.

After putting on a thick emerald cloak and a glance at her reflection, Rose was ready for her date with Noah. They had been dating for a month and a half now and Rose was thrilled. From their awkward yet cute first date at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop to now, Noah had been nothing but sweet and lovely – the prefect boyfriend, really. Ling and Mia adored Noah, as did her family. The only one who had a problem with him was, of course, Scorpius.

Rose made her way down to Hogsmeade. Noah was already there, dressed in Muggle clothes – a blue sweater and black pants, looking clean and neat as usual.

'Hi,' Rose greeted, planting a kiss on his lips.

'Hey Rosie,' replied Noah flashing her his dimpled smile and linking his large hands in her own.

They walked over to the Three Broomsticks, chatting side by side. As they approached the shop, Rose spotted Scorpius who seemed to be heading to the Hog's Head.

'Hey, Rose,' he drawled as he walked past them, totally ignoring Noah.

'Hey!' she replied with a smile, 'What're you up to?'

'Oh, just off to get drunk with a few mates,' he replied nonchalantly, 'Care to join?' he added.

Rose laughed, knowing he was just teasing her as usual.

'Actually, we're just going to the Three Broomsticks,' replied Noah a little sharply, slipping his arm around Rose's waist.

Scorpius made a pointed glance at this gesture and smirked. 'Oh, don't worry! I'll just leave you two to it, then. Sorry!' he called over his shoulder.

Mildly irritated by the two boys' behaviour, Rose entered the shop with Noah, greeted by the warm air and quickly grabbed a table for two near the window.

The date went smoothly and pleasantly as Noah and Rose chatted about what they always did: books, history and occasionally family.

'I'd love to meet _your_ family,' Noah expressed after a long discussion on his own family.

'Well, you've already met most of them!' she laughed. 'Sometimes I think most of this school consists of my relatives.'

Noah smiled, tracing his fingers along Rose's freckled arm. 'Yes, but your parents certainly don't attend this school.'

_He wants us to meet each other's parents? _Rose thought. _For us to be official, _she realised.

She beamed, her freckly, tanned face lighting up at the thought of them together. 'Of course you should meet them,' she said out loud before leaning in to kiss him.

…

After quite a few mugs of butterbeer, they decided to visit that antique bookstore they both loved so much.

As they exited a very busy Three Broomsticks, there was Scorpius, leaning casually against a wall, one hand draped lazily around a girl's waist. Mia. He pulled her in closer, nuzzling her neck.

Rose spotted them and took in a quick intake of breath, a little shocked. Seeing Rose's reaction, Noah followed her gaze.

'Oh,' he said in an expressionless voice his face twisted in a grimace. 'Your friend.'

'Hm.'

'Well, coming to the bookstore?' said Noah brightly, not so subtly changing the topic.

'Um, actually… I'm kind of tired now,' Rose said apologetically. 'Would you be okay if we head back to the castle?'

'Er, sure,' he replied, hesitant, but eager to please as always.

They went back to the castle in mostly silence. After a quick peck on the cheek goodbye from Noah, she went to the common room. On her way there, she bumped into Scorpius, yet again.

She gave him a small smile. 'I thought you'd be with Mia,' she said, arching an eyebrow.

'I thought you'd be with Noah,' he retorted, saying the name like it was a dirty word, his nose crinkled up in disgust.

Rose rolled her eyes at his immature reaction. 'Yes, but I just saw you a ten minutes ago! How did you get here so fast?'

Scorpius just smiled wryly. 'I'm a wizard.'

'Who can't do magic out of class,' Rose reminded, smiling.

'Details,' Scorpius replied nonchalantly.

'So…' began Rose, 'when you said you were "off to get drunk with a few mates", the 'few mates' actually meant Mia?'

Scorpius smirked. 'Of course not. I just happened to bump into her on the way.'

'You must really like Mia to give up your visit to the Hogs Head for her,' Rose teased.

'You know me,' said Scorpius laughingly.

Rose smiled, tilting her head to the side. 'Well, I'd best be off. I told Ling I'd go shopping with her, so wish me luck.'

…

Scorpius stood, leaning his back on the balcony of the astronomy tower, elbows propped up. Though it was no longer snowing, the parapet was now covered in a thick blanket of snow and it was freezing. He was wearing a black coat, but it wasn't exactly snugly. Still, this was one of the few places in the castle he could be alone and a little cold air wasn't going to make him move.

The wind howled in his ear and he did not hear the soft patter of feet coming up the tower. In front of him stood Mia, wearing a thick long blue sweater matching her eyes, her long blonde hair swishing in the wind.

'I knew I'd find you here,' she said, a crooked smile on her face. 'Why don't you come back in the castle?'

Scorpius sighed. If he wanted to be inside he wouldn't have come out here, then, would he? Out loud he simply said, 'I'm fine.'

Mia came closer, wrapping her thin arms around his neck. She couldn't believe she was actually dating Scorpius Malfoy after all she used to say about him, but she sure did love it. Everything about him was intoxicating, from his mysterious grey eyes to his lean and muscular body. But most of all she loved how he was all _hers. _

She kissed his cold lips, trailing her fingers down his back. He shivered. 'I wanted to talk,' she said quietly, her words barely heard over the gusty air, 'Come inside?'

'Sure,' he muttered.

It was considerably warmer inside the large tower and Scorpius felt the blond hairs on his arm rise.

'So?' he questioned, turning to Mia, 'You wanted to … talk?'

'Yeah,' Mia began. 'I just wanted to know… where we stand, you know? How… how you feel about this.' She paused briefly. 'About me.'

Scorpius groaned inwardly. The main reason he liked dating Mia was because she was fun, cynical and hot – his type. She didn't mind just snogging and not doing any thing _else_. Like talking. The minute a girl brought up 'feelings', she was out. But Scorpius actually liked Mia and wasn't too keen to let her go just like that.

'What do you mean?' he asked, caressing her hand. 'You're great,' he added, pulling her towards him, his hands on her slender waist.

Mia smirked. 'I know,' she said in feigned nonchalance. She acted like his touch was something she was used to, but secretly she thought different. 'Do – do you tell any other girls the same thing?' she added, hesitating now.

Scorpius narrowed his eyes. A fuzzy memory of being in bed with some drunk brunette a few days ago flashed in his mind. 'What do you mean?' he asked, his eyebrows dipped in what seemed to be genuine confusion.

'Do I really need to spell it out, Malfoy?' she shot, raising an eyebrow, back to her former self.

'I always thought we were, like, casual,' he said, playing innocent.

'I know. I just thought, maybe… maybe we could be something more?' she said, choosing her words carefully, 'Like, exclusive?'

Scorpius ran his long fingers through strands of white blond hair before placing his hands on her face, his piercing grey eyes directing in line with her bright blue ones. He was well aware of his effect on girls (and guys) and he had mastered the art of being in complete control.

'Don't you like us just the way we are?' he murmured in his low voice, brushing his lips against her neck. 'You and me, Mia.' He said her name like it was special, like there weren't dozens of other girls who had heard the same lines. He felt her tremble slightly and he kissed her harder, not giving her time to answer.

He kissed her lips one last time, before turning to go, leaving Mia perplexed over how he managed to have the last word, as always.

**A/N So…? What do you think? Time jump okay? Did I rush? And who hates Mia? Tell me what you think in the reviews! They truly make my day. :D**

**AND A BIG THANK YOU to my beta, ****FUNKILY FREAKY! ****For putting up with my constant nagging and helping me brainstorm via IM. I don't know what I'd do without you. 3**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Well it's the holidays, so I'm on a writing spree. Hopefully my updates will be a little more consistent from now on. Thank you to all reviewers! Your feedback is awesome. XD **

'My life is utterly miserable,' wailed Ling as she sat at the huge dining table laden with food in the Great Hall, eating her breakfast with Rose and Mia.

Rose looked up from her plate of pancakes, a silver fork in her hand. 'Why, what's wrong, Ling?' she asked, concerned.

'Everybody's got a boyfriend except me!' she cried. Rose just stared at her incredulously and sighed before continuing to pour some syrup on her pancakes.

'Rose, don't look at me like that; I'm not being superficial!' Ling protested, 'It's just that I realised how much I missed being in a relationship now that you have Noah, and,' – she turned to Mia –, 'you have Scorpius!'

'That's not quite true,' Mia muttered.

Rose turned her attention to Mia. 'Why would you say that?' she asked, frowning in concern.

'Well, no one _has _Scorpius. _He_ has _you_,' she replied matter-of-factly.

'What do you mean?'

Mia just shook her head. 'You wouldn't understand.' _Especially you, _thought Mia spitefully. She was Rose, what would she understand about Mia's need to struggle to be the first priority in Scorpius' life? She already was. Mia scolded herself silently for having those thoughts about her friend.

'Try us,' Ling prodded, eager to participate in any boy talk.

'Yeah,' said Rose, a small smile of encouragement on her face. 'If there's a problem, we're happy to try and help.'

Mia sighed. 'He likes us just dating. An open relationship,' she stated bluntly. 'And I like him way too much … I want us together. For him to be, like, a real boyfriend – where I'm the only one.' It was the most Mia had ever spoken in one go like that, and Rose noticed it.

A real boyfriend? That was certainly a new term associated with Scorpius. Mia and Scorpius _together_? Rose knew they were dating, but Scorpius never really mentioned Mia much and it was only times like at the Three Broomsticks when she was reminded of it. Images of the two on a double date with herself and Noah flashed through her mind and she immediately grimaced at the thought. It didn't fit; it wasn't right.

Rose shook off the feeling and smiled reassuringly. 'Don't worry; you'll be fine. I know he does like you.' She promised herself she would go talk to Scorpius in private later. They were her best friends; she wasn't going to let their relationship crumble just like that.

Mia smiled back at her, but she didn't look all too reassured.

…

True to her word, Rose sought Scorpius out during Potions to discuss Mia.

'Scorpius?' she began as they chopped up various roots and animal parts. 'I think we should talk.'

Scorpius laughed. This was the second time in a week he was asked to 'talk' by a girl. Not that Rose was that kind of girl, but anyway.

Rose ignored his laugh. 'Look, I'm gonna ask you something that probably seems like none of my business…'

'But?' interjected Scorpius, smiling.

'How do you really feel about Mia?'

Scorpius sighed in exasperation. 'Did she put you up to this?' he asked, running his hand through his hair.

'No!' Rose insisted. 'Merlin, Malfoy. It's just a question.'

'Yeah, and then the answer will be discussed extensively at your silly gossip sessions with your friends,' he muttered under his breath as they walked back to their bench.

'Whoa, since when do Igossip?' demanded Rose, frowning.

'Merlin's pants, Ling, have you seen how _hot _that prefect badge looks on Noah?' Scorpius mimicked, putting on a high-pitched voice. 'And Brooke's sister can be so _up herself _sometimes, I can't believe she _did _that to him!'

Rose narrowed her light brown eyes, furious. 'I said he _deserved_ that prefect badge, and I don't even know who Brooke is!' she exclaimed, her ears going red.

Scorpius' expression softened. 'I was only teasing, Rose,' he muttered.

'And I was only asking a question,' Rose retorted. 'Were you expecting Mia to put me up to this, or something?'

Scorpius just continued brewing his potion.

'I was only trying to help,' she said, shrugging her shoulders. 'If there's a problem, spit it out. I've never spilled before, have I?'

He sighed. 'Look, Mia is fine… until she starts asking things of me.'

'You don't like that.'

'Nope,' he stated matter-of-factly.

Rose nodded like she understood. 'But I think she really likes you.'

'They all do,' Scorpius drawled offhandedly.

'Yeah, but I think she _really _likes you.'

'See previous answer.'

Rose sighed. Trying to get Scorpius to talk about his feelings about girls was like trying to get Ling out of a shoe store. Possible, but not a task for the impatient.

'Yes, all right,' she said patiently. 'But Mia doesn't want to be just one in many. So,' Rose continued, shrugging, 'how do you really feel about her?'

Scorpius sighed and ran his hand through his hair yet again, a tell tale sign he was stressed. He didn't have the same control over Rose that he did over other girls (like Mia). He couldn't just silence her with a kiss or a seductive smirk to avoid questions he didn't want to answer. And all his other friends were guys, who wouldn't even think of asking a question like this. He thought about how to tackle the question.

'Look, like I said, Mia's fine. If I wanted to break up with her, I would have ages ago. But being exclusive is just so _restricting_, you know?'

'Not if you like them enough,' said Rose softly.

'Well, then I don't,' Scorpius said flatly, chopping up some brightly coloured roots. 'I'm not going to sacrifice my lifestyle for some _girl_.'

Rose frowned angrily. 'Your lifestyle? You mean you don't want to sacrifice your weekly dose of _sex _with multiple girls for someone who actually likes you! How can you treat girls like they're pieces of meat?'

Scorpius raised his eyebrows at her little outburst. Scorpius knew Rose was not one to judge others like this, but he also knew that if she wanted to help people she cared about, she was willing to say something about it.

'Hey, _they _come running to _me,_' he pointed out. 'I'm really doing a service to the community,' he drawled, shrugging. 'And besides, if Mia had a problem with it, she can leave anytime.'

Rose frowned. She had to admit he was right with the last part. Scorpius wasn't going to change his mind and if Mia had a problem, there was nothing Rose could do. Yet at the back of mind she couldn't help but feel oddly relieved for some reason.

…

After classes, Noah and Rose strolled around the grounds, before stopping near the lake. It was frozen over and the sun's reflection on it looked brilliant. Rose held Noah's large, warm hand while standing and admiring the view.

'It looks beautiful, doesn't it?' asked Rose, turning to Noah.

'Like you,' he replied smiling, cupping her chin in his hand, his bright green eyes looking at her like he could see right to her soul.

Rose felt her ears go red. _Damn the bloody Weasley blush! _she thought.

Noah placed his large hands on her waist and stepped in closer until she could smell the musky scent of his aftershave. He leaned into her and kissed her slow and deep, making Rose melt inside. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, entwining her hands in his hair. He brushed his lips against her freckled neck, causing her shiver in delight. Rose didn't care that there were probably people who could see them; this moment just felt too nice.

She wrapped her arms around Noah, and leaned her head against his broad chest, his coat a little stiff from the cold. She looked up at Noah. 'Would you like to spend Christmas at my place?' she blurted out suddenly. 'I'd love for you to meet my parents and all,' she added a little shyly.

Noah smiled in surprise. 'If your parents are okay with that, of course I would,' he exclaimed, before planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

'Oh, yeah, of course they will be! In the summer holidays Scor – ' Rose cut herself off just in time. Noah would definitely not be interested about the years of summer holidays Scorpius had spent with the Weasley and Potter family.

'Yes?' inquired Noah politely.

'Oh, don't worry,' reassured Rose, 'They'll be just fine with it!'

Noah smiled in delight at the thought of meeting _the_ Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger-Weasley. If he was lucky, maybe even Harry Potter himself. And with his beautiful girlfriend by his side, too. This was going to be one heck of a Christmas.

**A/N Please review and tell me what you think! Pretty please with a cherry on top? Chocolate sauce and marshmallows too? I know all you people who put this story on story alert but never review… *****narrows eyes***** Just kidding. :P But reviews really do help me and I seriously appreciate them. Thank you very much! :) **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N I'm updating weekly! But I have a feeling things will get inconsistent from now on, since school started two days ago and I'm already behind. Thank you so very very much to everybody whose been reading and reviewing! I love it.**

'You'd never guess what I signed up for!' sang Ling, linking her arm through Rose's as Rose was heading off to the Common Room to study. It was a Hogsmeade weekend, but Rose had a report due for Herbology on Monday. She was lagging behind in her studies ever since Noah came in the picture. She'd have sacrifice something to gain another, and she'd rather sacrifice her Hogsmeade weekends than her grades.

'What is it, Ling?' asked Rose, smiling. Ling might be full of nonsense sometimes, but Rose was actually quite entertained by her daily updates on her life.

'A blind date!' Ling cried happily. 'Remember how I was saying that I missed having a love life? Well,' she continued, not waiting for an answer, 'since normal dating hasn't really worked so far, I thought, how about blind dating? What's there to lose? I mean, I might just find the one for me!'

Rose smiled, amused. 'Look, that sounds great, Ling, but aren't you worried you'll get someone … not your type?' It sounded a tad too risky to Rose.

'It's all about experimenting!' Ling exclaimed. 'Besides, it's not like they have a minimum time you haveto spend with the guy. If I'm _really_ hating the date, I'll just cut it short!'

'All right. When is it, then?' asked Rose, 'And where?'

'The Three Broomsticks. And today, later in the afternoon.'

'Sounds fun,' Rose remarked, spotting Mia as they approached the Common Room. 'Tell me all about it after, 'kay?'

…

Three hours later, Rose was finally done. Ling was off on her blind date; Mia was wrapped in studying too, which meant everybody else was down at Hogsmeade. She decided to go down to visit her favourite bookstore; she might even bump into Noah there.

She put on a winter robe and some gloves, a scarf and a beanie before plodding her way through the thick snow down to Hogsmeade. As she neared the bookstore, sure enough, there was Noah inside, sitting comfortably on a couch, flicking through a book. She entered the shop and was grateful for the warmth.

'Hi, Noah,' she greeted, giving him and kiss as she snuggled up next to him, placing her head on his shoulder and peering at the book he was reading. 'Whatcha doin'?'

'Oh, just looking for some books to send to my family for Christmas,' he replied, smiling.

'Cool,' Rose said, 'Have you asked them if you're allowed to stay at my place for Christmas?'

'Yeah, I just got an owl from them yesterday. They're really excited too,' Noah said with a smile.

'Excited?' asked Rose.

'Yes. My mum's a huge fan of your parents, especially your mum.'

'Oh,' said Rose softly. She'd forgotten about the fact that her mum and dad were more than just his girlfriend's parents to Noah; they were also famous figures in the Wizarding world.

'But that's not the only reason they're excited,' Noah added with a concerned frown, seeing her expression. 'They're really happy for me that I've found someone like you.' Rose gave him a smile and Noah briefly kissed her, holding her hand.

At that very moment, a younger boy with frizzy brown curls and brown eyes opened the door of the bookstore, letting a cold draft enter the shop. 'Rosie?'

'Hugo!' Rose greeted as the door shut behind her brother. 'What're _you _doing in a bookstore?' she asked incredulously.

'Buying a Christmas present for Mum,' he explained. 'And Alder's your _boyfriend_ now?' he snorted, looking at their linked hands pointedly.

'Yeah,' she replied, not fazed by his immaturity. He was her brother, after all. 'You've met?'

'Not officially,' Noah said, standing up, 'but we're in the same house.'

'Well, then,' said Rose uncurling her legs and standing up too, 'Hugo, this my boyfriend Noah, and Noah, this is my little brother, Hugo.'

'I'm a fourth year,' Hugo said to Noah, 'Not as "little" as Rose says.'

Rose just rolled her eyes. 'Oh, and Hugo? Noah will be spending Christmas with us. I've already asked Mum and Dad.'

Hugo smirked. 'What happened to Scorpius? Doesn't he spend pretty much every second year at our place?'

Rose gave a pointed look to Hugo, urging him to shut up.

'What?' Hugo demanded, feigning ignorance, clearly relishing her embarrassment, 'I mean, I've just gotten so used to Scorpius sharing a bedroom with you while you help him sort out his family issues that –'

'Let's go, Noah,' Rose exclaimed loudly, dragging him out the door, quietly giving her brother the finger as she slammed the door shut behind her.

…

Ling entered the Three Broomsticks and released her grip on her peacock blue cloak; it was blissfully warm in here. She looked around, looking for the table she was told to go to meet her blind date. It was the second one along, near a pot plant. She approached the cosy, round table. And there was –

'Lorcan?' she exclaimed in surprise as she spotted the blue eyed brunet. 'Or is it Lysander?' ' Lorcan Scamander was a good friend of Ling's and a family friend of Rose. Even then Ling had trouble sometimes in telling the difference between him and his twin.

Lorcan looked up and looked equally surprised. 'Ling!' he greeted with a smile of his face, clearly relieved.

Ling grinned. 'Okay, definitely not Lysander.' Though Lorcan and Ling were friendly, Lysander didn't really get along with her.

She grabbed a seat and leaned forward, her elbows propped up on the table. 'I gotta admit, I'm surprised to you see you here!'

'My mate signed me up for this blind dating thing as a joke without me knowing. I only found out today,' he said, chuckling nervously., 'I'm kinda glad I came though,' he added.

Ling beamed in delight. 'So am I,' she said. 'Thank goodness it's you and not some… icky guy.'

Lorcan laughed. 'That's good to know.'

They ordered their drinks and rubbing his hands on a cup of warm butterbeer, Lorcan asked, 'So… how have you been?'

It only took that much to get Ling going. For the next half an hour, Ling was unstoppable. She discussed everything from the mountains of schoolwork she had, to her Christmas plans to Rose going out with Noah.

'Adler?' Lorcan asked.

'Yeah,' Ling replied, 'You know him?'

'Uh huh. I'm a prefect for Ravenclaw remember? And he's one of the prefects for Hufflepuff.'

'Oh?' Well, is he nice?' Ling asked, leaning forward, eager for information.

'Uh, sure,' Lorcan replied, shrugging.

'Okay, cool,' Ling said, not letting Lorcan continue any further. 'You know, he's spending Christmas at the Weasleys' this year.'

'He's what?' exclaimed a familiar voice from behind them.

Ling frowned, looking up at the tall and lanky figure standing behind Lorcan's chair. 'Malfoy?'

Scorpius shrugged. 'Eavesdropping is just another one of my many, many skills,' he drawled. 'But, er, Alder's … what?' ' he continued, dropping any pretence,

Ling smirked at the fact that she knew something Scorpius didn't. 'She didn't tell you?' Ling taunted. 'Noah will be spending Christmas break with Rose. '

'But why would she want _him _at her place?' he added, his face wrinkled in disgust.

Ling raised her eyebrows. 'Jealous, are we?'

Scorpius smirked, rolling his eyes. 'Please,' he snorted, stifling a laugh.

'Well, in case you haven't noticed, Noah _is _Rose's boyfriend. And they're very keen to meet each other's parents.'

Scorpius just snorted. 'Meet each other's parents, my ass. Noah's just a wannabe who wants to improve his social staus by dating a Weasley.'

Lorcan, who was quiety listening to all this, frowned.

Ling raised her eyebrows. 'Okay, either you know something I don't, or you really are jealous. Now, if you excuse me, Lorcan and I have a date we want to get on with,' she said haughtily.

'Okay, okay,' Scorpius said, holding his hands up. 'I'm leaving.'

After Ling was sure Scorpius was far from overhearing anything, Ling proclaimed, 'I think he's jealous.'

Lorcan just smiled wryly. 'I think so too.'

'The question is,' pondered Ling, 'what _kind _of jealously is it? Best friend jealously? Or something else?'

'Seems like the latter to me.'

'So do I,' Ling admitted. 'What are we going to about it?'

'Do we have to do anything?' Lorcan asked, bemused.

'Lorcan!' Ling cried. 'Do you not know anything about matchmaking?'

'Er – ' began Lorcan.

Ling rushed on, interrupting him, 'First, we have to decide on whether the couple has potential. You gotta be realistic. And I think Rose and Malfoy go _pretty _well together. They're already best friends, so the getting to know you part is already done,' Ling said, counting on her fingers. 'And we know that one has feelings for another – '

'_Might_ have feelings for another,' Lorcan piped in.

'Yes, that,' Ling said impatiently. 'So really, the only thing is getting Rose to realise _her _feelings for him! And then we step back and let them fall in _lurve_!' Ling finished, grinning.

'Ling, I think you might be forgetting one _little _detail.'

'What?' Ling asked, frowning.

'Her boyfriend, perhaps? Who she's obviously quite happy with?'

'Oh,' Ling said, deflated. 'Him.'

'So… what's the plan now?'

'There is no plan,' Ling sighed sadly, 'because this plan only works without Noah, and Ling is a matchmaker, not matchbreaker. I would never sabotage my best friend's relationship.'

Lorcan sighed, 'Well, maybe you shouldn't get too carried away. Let Rose make up her own mind.'

Ling smiled, her face lighting up. 'You're right! We need to first need figure out if Rose might have feelings for Malfoy! _Then _we work with the plan!' she exclaimed, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. 'You're a genius, Lorcan! Rose will _totally _thank us later.'

'That's not quite what I meant,' Lorcan mumbled, a blush creeping up his face.

Ling beamed, oblivious to Lorcan's sudden change in facial colour. Ling was on a matchmaking mission, and nothing would stop her. Except Rose, of course.

**A/N I know, I introduced two fairly important canon characters in one chapter. I couldn't help it. As for all the questions about Noah, you shall have to wait and see. Christmas break is coming soon… **

**Please review! What do you think? :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Christmas at Hogwarts was a beautiful thing, and as Rose sat at a table in the magnificently decorated Great Hall, she almost didn't want to leave. On a Christmas tree next to her, glittering fairies flitted here and there. Rose tilted her head, admiring the scene. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to stay here. This was the place she spent the most time; it was her second home. The best part was that at Hogwarts, she wasn't forced to interact with her parents and extended family, put on her good girl face and talk about her grades with her brilliant mother. She sighed. It was only times like these when she visited home for the holidays that she remembered how hard it was being the daughter of one of the smartest witches in the country.

'Rose?' Mia piped up, interrupting her thoughts. 'Shouldn't you go and finish packing?'

_Go and _start _packing, _Rose corrected silently. 'Yeah,' she agreed, not revealing that she simply couldn't be bothered.

She trudged up several moving staircases to go to her dormitory on the seventh floor. Finally, she was there, and spotted Scorpius – yet again – snogging a girl that wasn't Mia. Trying not to be noticed, Rose attempted to be discreet as she sneaked up the portrait of the Fat Lady that lead to her Common Room. But as soon as she moved, Scorpius turned his head, his expression going from seductive to sheepish within milliseconds. He murmured something softly in the girl's ear and the girl quietly slipped away, albeit a little disappointed.

'Hi,' he said softy as he approached her, his hands resting casually in his pockets, expecting an outburst from Rose as to why he was with a random girl and not Mia.

Rose nodded in greeting. 'What's up? Why'd you ditch the girl?'

'No reason,' Scorpius said casually. 'Heard Alder's crashing at your place this holidays?' he added.

'Er, yeah,' Rose said, startled at the abrupt change of topic. 'How'd you find out?'

'It's Hogwarts,' Scorpius said as if that explained everything.

Rose laughed. 'True. You going home for Christmas?'

'Hell no,' Scorpius said, snorting in disgust. '_Dear _Poppa Malfoy is visiting.'

'Ah,' Rose said, nodding in understanding, 'Bet that pissed your dad off.'

'Yeah,' Scorpius drawled, 'He hates Grandfather even more than I do but for some twisted reason he wants the whole family around for whenever he visits.'

'Hm.' Now _Scorpius_ was somebody who had a valid reason to not wanting to spend Christmas with his family. Rose felt rather pathetic for being less than enthusiastic to go back home earlier. She was spending a whole two weeks with Noah, after all. It wasn't nearly as bad as she had made out.

'I should get packing,' Rose said, grimacing.

'Leaving things to the last minute as usual?' Scorpius said with a smirk.

Rose laughed and stepped in to give him a brief hug. 'You know it. Have a good Christmas, 'kay?' she added with a smile.

…

Rose dragged a small suitcase behind her as she searched the Hogwarts Express for Ling and Mia. After peeking into a couple of compartments, she finally found them. Sliding open the door; she walked into Ling and Lorcan fervently whispering. As soon as Ling looked up, she shut her mouth promptly. Bemused, Rose took a seat opposite them, next to Mia. 'What's up with them?' she asked Mia curiously, taking off her coat.

'No idea,' Mia said with a shrug, 'I think they're whispering in code, or something, coz I can't make out a thing.'

'It's nothing,' Ling waved off, her voice sounding just a smidge higher than usual.

Rose didn't believe it, but decided to not say anything until they were alone. 'Hi there, Lorcan,' she addressed, 'I heard _you _were Ling's blind date?' she added, smiling.

Lorcan blushed. 'Yeah...'

Sensing he was getting a little uncomfortable, Rose changed the subject. 'Hugo heard from Lysander that you were going over to Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny's place for their Christmas party?'

'Uh huh. As you know, they have one almost every year,' Lorcan answered. 'But it gets … kinda crowded.'

'Just another one of the joys of being in a huge family,' laughed Rose sarcastically.

'Scorpius has been to your uncle and aunt's Christmas parties before, right?' Ling asked casually.

Mia straightened up a bit, suddenly showing interest.

'Sure,' answered Rose, puzzled as to why Ling was asking something she already knew.

'So do you feel… odd that he's not here this time?'

Rose frowned. 'What do you mean? He's welcome to stay, but he does have his own life, you know.'

'Okay,' Ling said, nodding.

'And I'm really glad that Noah's staying over at our place. It would be weird with Scorpius there as well,' Rose added honestly.

Ling subtly glanced at Lorcan, who pretended not to know what was going on. 'My other friends are probably wondering where I am,' Lorcan said, getting up.

'Yeah, and I'm gonna go find Noah, 'kay, guys?' Rose said, sliding open the compartment door.

'Bye, Ling,' Lorcan said quietly.

Ling smiled and mouthed, 'Talk to you later'. Lorcan didn't have to be told what Ling was eager to talk about.

…

Rose walked down the narrow aisle of the train, peering into compartments inconspicuously when she literally bumped into the very person she was looking for. 'Noah!' she said in surprise, laughing. 'I was just looking for you!'

He smiled that dimpled smile Rose loved so much. 'Well, you found me,' he murmured as he kissed her gently on the lips.

Rose beamed. It took only a small kiss from Noah to make her feel all wobbly inside. She entwined her fingers in his and asked quietly, 'Do you wanna find somewhere a little more… private?'

'Sure,' Noah replied with a smile. It wasn't too hard to find an empty compartment; not with the number of Hogwarts students that were staying back at the castle this Christmas.Rose fleetingly thought of Scorpius.

They slipped inside a compartment right on the other side of the train. And as soon as Rose slid the door behind her Noah pulled her in close and kissed her. Rose wrapped her arms around his waist, looking into his warm, hazel eyes. She kissed his lips softly; keen to forget about the rest of the world.

'Two weeks of this, huh?' Noah asked, hugging her waist.

'Mmhm,' she murmured in agreement.

'What's your family like?' Noah asked for the billionth time.

Rose pulled away a little. 'You've already asked me that!' she exclaimed, irked.

'Sorry,' he muttered. 'You know I just want to know more about your life.'

Rose's expression softened. 'Yeah, I know. What is it you want to know?'

'Oh, nothing. I was just wondering how it is… being in your family.'

Rose sighed. _Everyone does._

'And you and your mum seem so similar!' Noah prattled on, like it was a compliment. 'You're both obviously extremely talented.'

That did it. Rose stood back a bit and exclaimed, irritated, 'Look, I'm notmy mother.' _Never will be, and never can, _Rose thought bitterly.

Noah, frowned, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. 'You seem pretty close, though. You know, the love of books and all.'

Rose sighed in exasperation. 'I'm not like her. I like books and I'm supposedly smart. But she's Hermione Granger-Weasley! No matter how hard you try, _every single _day, no one can ever live up to her – not even her own daughter.' There, she said it. Now maybe, Noah would understand that she didn't want to talk about her parents' achievements all the time.

Noah stepped in closer, cupping her face in his large hands. 'I'm sorry, I didn't realise,' he said gently. 'There's no need for you to change; you're amazing just the way you are. You know that, don't you?'

Rose let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. 'Thanks,' she said, giving him a small smile. He was looking at her like that way of his, where she felt like the centre of his universe, and as he kissed her slow and deep there was nowhere else Rose would have rather been.

…

A few hours later, the train finally started to slow down as they neared the station. Rose looked out the window, keen to meet her parents and reunite with her bedroom again. Soon, she could spot the easily recognisable flame of red hair that belonged to her father, who was waving in the wrong direction embarrassingly. She could just make out her mother's mass of puffy brown hair her brother had inherited. She smiled, though she knew they couldn't really see her yet.

And the most excited was, of course, Noah, peering out the window like a kid at the shop window of Honeydukes, as if he was about to meet his dream Christmas present.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N I really apologise for the gap between this chapter and the last, but school has been extremely busy lately, and that does take priority. I can promise, however, that I will **_**not **_**leave this story unfinished. I hate it when other authors do that, and this being my first fan fiction, I'm rather attached to it. This story will take its time, but it will finish. Eventually. Thank you to everyone who is still reading (and reviewing)! Even a few words of feedback are enough for me. I love it. :) **

Frozen. That's what Noah's face looked like to Rose. Only minutes ago he was bubbling with what was, admittedly, rather irritating enthusiasm to meet Rose's parents, but now that his idols were standing right in front of him? He looked like he had been petrified.

Rose leaned in to give both her parents a warm hug each. 'Mum! Dad! This,' she gestured to the statue-like figure beside her, 'is Noah.' Hearing his name spoken aloud seemed to have snapped him out it a little and he visibly loosened up.

Both her parents looked mildly amused as they each put their hands forward to shake his. 'Noah,' her dad exclaimed, slapping him on the back. Her mum smiled at him kindly. 'This is Ron,' she introduced, shaking his hand formally. 'And I'm Hermione. It's a pleasure to meet you.'

'I-I know,' Noah stuttered. 'I m-mean I know who you are. It's a pleasure to meet you too,' he continued, regaining some sort of composure. Hugo, who until then had been simply looking at Noah peculiarly, snorted with laugher. 'You kn-kn-know, do you?' Hugo mimicked, earning him a warning look from his mother and a sharp nudge in the ribs from Rose. But Rose was also fighting a smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. How Noah would interact with the rest of the Potter-Weasley clan was certainly something to look forward to.

…

'And this,' Rose announced, pushing the mahogany door open, 'is _my _bedroom.' Rose was giving Noah a full tour of her house, which she knew he'd be fascinated with. Her bedroom, like the rest of their large house, had wooden flooring and brick walls, to emphasise the cosy, old fashioned feel. However, unlike other parts of the house that were strewn with ornaments and low armchairs, this room was rather plain looking.

Near the window was her bed, perfectly made with a beige colour duvet cover. On the other side of the room sat a large bookcase, a desk and a chair. Her chest of drawers and wardrobe were enormous; giving the impression that what was missing from the rest of the room was probably stuffed in there. The only personal touch Rose had given the room were the pictures. All the walls had at least five photo frames hanging on them, and her desk and bedside table had a few too. Some were family portraits, with all her cousins, aunts and uncles waving merrily. Others were ones she had taken herself - ones of her brother, her mum and her dad. But most of them were of her and her friends.

Noah peeked at each of the photos, commenting on the sheer number and looked curiously at the few of her uncle Harry. 'Harry Potter,' he breathed, looking at one full family portrait. 'That's right,' Rose said, a little wearily.

Suddenly, Noah stopped in his tracks and frowned. Rose leaned over his shoulder to see what he was looking at on her bedside table. It was a picture of her and Scorpius, probably aged 11 or 12, arms around each other, laughing. Rose had a tooth missing and Scorpius was waving in the wrong direction. Rose smiled as she looked at her younger, carefree self. But when she glanced at Noah, he looked anything but carefree. 'When was this taken?' he asked stiffly.

Rose smirked. 'Jealous?' she teased, wrapping her arms around his waist.

'No!' Noah blurted out, then seeing Rose's mischievous expression, he smiled.

Rose placed her hands on his face and kissed him. 'It's cute,' she murmured.

At that second her bedroom door creaked open. It was Hugo. 'It's time for dinner!' he announced, as the two jumped apart. 'Oh, I see,' he mocked. 'Take your own sweet time. It's okay, really.'

Rose gave Hugo a glare worthy of their mother. 'Get. Out.'

'Merlin, Rosie. I know how much you wanna have sex with your boyf-'

He did not get to finish, as Rose swiftly pulled out her rather long rosewood wand and held it up at his throat. Hugo froze. It was an empty threat, obviously, since neither could perform magic out of school, but Hugo vividly remembered the time Aunt Ginny had taught Rose her signature bat-bogey hex when they were young and Hugo, regretfully, had been Rose's first target.

Hugo backed away. 'Merlin! You need to control your anger!' he said, feigning nonchalance. 'And you'd better get down for dinner!' he called over he shoulder, bounding down the stairs.

…

Over the next few days, every dinner was spent in a different place, with a different bunch of relatives. So far Noah had met both sets of Rose's grandparents and tonight they had travelled by the Floo Network to Shell Cottage, home of Rose's Aunt Fleur and Uncle Bill. Though there weren't an enormous amount of people there, the house still seemed a little cramped, due to its petite structure. Rose dutifully introduced Noah to each and every one of her relatives. While Noah enthusiastically discussed werewolf genes with Uncle Bill, her 13-year-old cousin, Louis, stared openly. Noah turned, sensing he was being watched. He caught the eye of Louis, who flushed and hastily looked away, mumbling incomprehensibly to no one in particular. Rose, a witness of this small scene, smiled, amused by Louis' rather immature reaction to an older guy. Louis was gay, and Rose guessed he appreciated Noah's strong physique, chestnut curls and warm hazel eyes as much as she did. Puzzled and obviously oblivious, Noah turned back to his conversation with Uncle Bill.

Suddenly, Rose felt a nudge in her ribs, and turned to see bright green eyes looking at her. 'Seems like someone has a little crush,' said Albus, teasingly, as he pointed his head towards Louis, who unsuccessfully trying to pour some butterbeer in a mug while also gazing out at Noah.

Rose laughed. 'I don't blame him, really.'

'You really like the Hufflepuff, huh?' asked Albus.

'Well, of course,' replied Rose, wondering why Albus was asking such an obvious question.

'What about Malfoy, then?' Albus asked suddenly.

'What?' Rose exclaimed, frowning. 'How has Scorpius to do with anything?'

Albus shrugged. 'He would come almost every Christmas. And now you bring a new guy… '

'Excuse me?' she shot back. 'You know as well as I do that Scorpius and I are only friends! And Noah is my _boyfriend_. You can't compare the two!'

'Yeah, I know. But you never really invited your other friends over as much…' said Albus suggestively.

'Oh please, Al,' huffed Rose, rolling her eyes. 'You know how the press plagues his family life. Ours was a nice place to get away from it all. That's _all,_' she said with finality.

Albus raised his eyebrows. 'And our family lives are normal?' he exclaimed sceptically. 'We get even more attention than the Malfoys do!'

'_We _get noticed for positive things. The Malfoys don't,' Rose remarked quietly.

'Well… of course they don't. For a reason.'

Anger flashed in Rose's chocolate brown eyes. She had faced one too many people who judged the Malfoys far too quickly, and Rose would not let her best friend be targeted by anyone, least of all her own cousin. 'That was a long time ago,' she snapped. 'And Scorpius was _not _involved. He wasn't even alive!'

'Yeah, I know. I'm not blaming anyone. But you can't deny what his father and grandparents did.'

Rose let out a breath. 'You don't know the whole story,' she accused, her tone sharp and jaw set. 'And I don't care what his relatives did. Because I know how it _bloody_ feels to get judged for who your parents are.'

'You think I don't?' said Albus quietly. 'I'm the son of Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One, whatever you want to call him. Luckily Mum and Dad don't like public appearances,' he continued, 'but that doesn't stop some people staring when they find out my surname.'

At that moment, Rose involuntarily looked over at Noah, who, in a similar fashion to Louis earlier, was pouring out some butterbeer, his eyes not focused on the drink, but intently observing the famous trio – Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. Three figures the Wizarding community revered, but who Rose simply knew as Mum, Dad and Uncle Harry.

**A/N So there you go. :) It would totally make my week if you could review! I have exams this week (I know, I shouldn't be online), but a review or two would brighten it all up, even a little bit. :) So thank you!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N I didn't expect this chapter (which is about Christmas) to actually be posted so close to Christmas day. It's long overdue. Thanks to all the reviewers! 100 reviews! Woo! **

'Why do we have to have these parties every year, again?' snapped Rose angrily as she wiped down the large glass dining table, her arm sore and tired from cleaning the house for the Christmas party the Weasleys' were hosting in a few short hours. She was forced to clean the Muggle way, of course, being only 16 and unable to perform magic yet. This fact was making Rose increasingly cranky and she had no problem in expressing it.

'So that we get to spend "quality time with our loved ones during the festive season",' Hugo answered, quoting their mother, as he squeezed between the couch and the cabinet, trying to dust in between the two items.

'And let's not forget how we apparently "bond" when we organise an event "as a family". Quality time, my ass… Where are Mum and Dad anyway? They could finish this off in a few seconds!' ranted Rose, now polishing the chairs.

Hugo grimaced, pulling his head out from underneath the couch, his hair looking like _it _had been the duster, with his frizzy curls even frizzier than normal. Usually he would relish Rose's obvious displeasure, but in this case they were in the same boat.

'Well, your mother is trying to de-gnome the garden,' interjected her father, walking into the room, 'but she doesn't get how there's no way to "humanely" do it; they're just too bloody stupid. But that Noah was pretty eager to go help, so I sent him out.'

'_That's_ where he's been…' muttered Rose, knowing how much Noah would have loved to have a one on one conversation with her mum, even if it _was_ about the glamorous task of de-gnoming.

'I'll take care of the rest of the cleaning. You two need to start getting ready,' her dad stated, pointedly looking at Hugo's hair, a twisted grimace on his face. 'Hugo, that hair looks like a hairball Crookshanks might have coughed up.'

Hugo scowled and Rose was still laughing to herself as she quickly went upstairs to get ready.

…

An hour and a bit later, Noah came knocking on Rose's door. 'Your dad asked if you were ready yet?'

'Yeah, pretty much,' she replied, swinging the door open. Her long wavy auburn hair was let out, almost reaching her elbows and she was wearing a short sapphire blue dress and black heels. Her silver bangles and earrings complimented the look.

'Wow… You look beautiful,' Noah murmured, stepping in closer towards her, planting a soft kiss on her freckled cheek.

'Well you don't look half-bad yourself, actually.'

He looked down at his suit before smiling at her. 'Not as nice as you do.'

The corners of Rose's mouth twitched upwards. 'Coming?' she asked, leading him downstairs.

As they entered the living room, Rose was blinded by all the decorations. Gold, crimson and emerald hangings were draped on the ceiling and several glowing candles floated in the air. The most eye-catching, however, was the magnificent ceiling-high tree in the corner of the room, alight with fairies that flitted around it, and several glittery balls, candy canes and tinsel hanging off the pine tree's needles. A huge golden star shone brightly from the top.

Rose turned to Noah in surprise. 'Mum and Dad did all this while I was getting ready?'

Noah grinned. 'Nice, isn't it?'

The guests had already started arriving, bringing in armfuls of food and gifts and before Rose could reply, her mother was hustling her towards them. 'Rosie, I need to you place all the food and supplies they bring in on that table, okay? Then you can go enjoy the rest of the party.'

'Yeah, alright,' replied Rose, but her mother had already disappeared.

As Rose and Noah set the table up, Rose's younger cousin Lily arrived and handed over a cake to her. 'Nice outfit!' she exclaimed. 'And nice boyfriend!' she added, shamelessly eyeing Noah up and down.

Rose laughed, and looked over to Noah who looked a little lost for words at Lily's forward nature.

'Thanks. You look amazing,' Rose commented. Lily's pixie cut, naturally bright red hair contrasted brilliantly with her short, strapless emerald green dress. 'And you match the decorations,' Rose added with a smirk.

Lily grinned. 'Christmas is a redhead's best friend,' she called over her shoulder, as she trotted off in her stilettos.

Rose looked at Noah pointedly. 'Somebody's popular,' she teased. 'Do you wanna go join the party now?'

'Sure,' said Noah, with a smile, linking his hands in hers.

'There you are!' exclaimed her mum, upon seeing Rose. She was standing near a tall dark haired man in silk dress robes and a professional clean shave.

The man shook Rose's hand politely, 'Good to see you again, Miss Weasley.'

Rose smiled up at him. 'You too, Mr. Montague.'

Her mother smiled, effortlessly switching from motherly to professional in her tone. 'This,' she indicated to Noah, 'is Rose's boyfriend, Noah Adler. Noah, I'd like to introduce you to our new Adviser to our Minister for Magic, Mr. Fitzwilliam Montague.'

Noah went a pale shade of green. Mr. Montague reached out to shake his hand. Noah's hands were stuck to his sides, and a few awkward moments passed before he finally reached out and shook the Undersecretary's hand, still in shock.

If Mr. Montague was confused or uncomfortable with Noah's awkward reaction, he did not show it. 'Oh, Hermione, call me Fitz,' he laughed casually, barely acknowledging Noah. 'We've been working together too long for this.'

'Too true,' Rose's mother replied.

'Look, the Minister sends his apologies for her absence. She unfortunately had another function to attend, I'm afraid.'

'Oh, that's quite all right.'

Soon, Rose's mother and Mr. Montague had completely forgotten about Rose and Noah, and they quietly slipped away.

'Your mother knows the _Adviser to the Minister_?' Noah exclaimed in shock, once they were out of earshot. 'Your mother invited the _Adviser to the Minister _to her party? I can't believe it! This is amazing!'

'Er… yeah,' replied Rose with a puzzled frown. 'She knows the Minister as well,' she added like it was no big deal. Because it wasn't. Not to Rose, anyway. She knew that not too many people were used to knowing people like Mr. Montague. But _surely_ Noah should have expected this, knowing her mum was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement? Rose simply could not see why Noah found everything her family did awe-inspiring, and at times like these, she found his behaviour rather irritating and foolish. Rose remembered how whenever Scorpius was forcibly introduced to any of her mum's friends he just seemed to take it as it came – sarcastic and laid back. Rose suddenly found herself missing Scorpius' blasé attitude.

'Show-off,' muttered Hugo, in response to her comment.

'Why is it that you always turn up at the most inopportune times?' snapped Rose in irritation.

As Hugo brushed past her, he muttered softly in her ear, 'You have to remember, Rosie. He's not Scorpius.'

…

Ah, Christmas morning. As a child, like so many of that age, Rose would run down the stairs as fast as possible to rip open the presents addressed to her under the tree. Though she was no longer as keen, she still loved that moment when she woke up snuggled in blankets, feeling a familiar tingle of excitement in her body.

Later that same morning, as Rose and her family and Noah sat at the breakfast table digging into some very delicious bacon and eggs, Rose spotted a small black dot in sky. As it came nearer she recognised it to be the barn owl belonging to Scorpius.

Surprised, she hastily opened the window and recovered a small package and scroll from the owl's feet before it flapped its wings and was off.

'Must be your Christmas present from him. What good timing!' remarked her mother, spreading some jam on a piece of toast.

Rose held the present in her hands; it was soft to touch. _Not a book, then, _thought Rose_. _Too many people gifted her books, not realising that she had more than enough of _those_. Scorpius, of course, knew this, she realised with a smile.

She carefully and slowly unwrapped the gift, resisting the urge to rip the green wrapping paper to shreds. She caught a glimpse of red as she unfolded the material.

It was an apron. She held it out in front of her. In the middle was an image of a flaming oven, the flames darting realistically around it, and the words "Nerds can be bakers too… right?" written right above. Rose let out a loud laugh, as the memory of her disastrous baking fiasco of _last _Christmas came back to her.

After watching Scorpius, who was a decent cook himself, help her mother in the kitchen, Rose had foolishly decided to bake a Christmas cake herself, just to prove she could. She was determined not to ask for help, and ended up leaving it in the oven for too long resulting in a burnt, rock hard cake, smoke all over the house and, of course, a flaming oven.

It was something Scorpius (and her family) never let her hear the end of, and as she showed the apron to her family, they all burst out in laughter.

'That's brilliant!' laughed her mother, 'Very clever, that Scorpius.'

Noah looked highly uncomfortable, not being in the loop, but Rose, who was now unrolling the scroll of parchment, did not notice this.

In Scorpius' large, scrawled writing, was written:

_Weasley,_

_Make sure you have a happy, safe Christmas. Emphasis on the "safe". The apron should be a good reminder, I think. I mean, I prefer your family not burnt to a crisp, you know? Merry Christmas,_

_Scorpius._

_P.S. Say hi to Hugo for me._

Rose smiled, amused at the short message. It was so easy to imagine cynical, sarcastic Scorpius speaking these words to her directly. Her own present to him was a rare antique book about advanced potion making. Though even she thought it sounded rather dull, she knew Scorpius loved anything to do with Potions, which was easily his best subject at school.

Noah spoke up for the first time since Rose had spotted Scorpius' owl, asking, 'Maybe I should give you your present now, then?'

Rose snapped her head up, only just noticing Noah. 'Oh, yeah, of course!'

Leaving her family at the table, the pair went into the longue room, next to the beautiful Christmas tree.

'I'll give you mine first,' Rose said quickly, picking up hers from under the tree. She had had so much trouble with this present, and she hoped he'd be satisfied.

He opened it and (to Rose's relief) smiled in delight. It was a book Rose had seen him look at several times in the bookshop they both visited frequently.

'It's wonderful! How did you know I wanted it? Thank you, Rose,' he said formally, and kissed her, before reaching out to give her his present.

It was a package wrapped extravagantly with gold wrapping and green and red silk ribbons; contrasting sharply with the plain green package Scorpius had sent her.

She opened it quickly, already suspecting what it was. A book. It was an encyclopaedia of famous witches and wizards and their achievements. Rose couldn't help feel put out, but when she saw Noah's expectant, eager eyes, she flashed him a dazzling smile and kissed him, causing Noah to respond rather enthusiastically and wrap his large arms around her lanky frame. But instead of his embrace feeling protective, warm and comfortable, Rose felt the very unfamiliar urge to pull back.

**A/N Next chapter: finally some Scorpius. Merry Christmas to any of you that celebrate it and for the rest of you, happy holidays! :)**


End file.
